


Cruel Summer

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Protective Evan “Buck” Buckley, Protectiveness, Season/Series 03, Worried Evan “Buck” Buckley, tsunami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 16:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20260753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: When the waves start to crash in all Buck can think about is keeping Christopher safe.





	Cruel Summer

**Author's Note:**

> So I watched the season 3 trailer too many times to count, and couldn’t resist writing something. Which is long overdue because I’ve missed writing these boys.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Buck laughs happily as Christopher succeeds in getting the water square through the hole. The games are always supposed to be rigged but Christopher seems to be a natural at it. Sure, Buck may have helped a bit. But that's besides the point. It's worth it to see the joy on Christopher's face when he's told he's won. 

"What prize do you want, buddy?" Buck asks him. 

Christopher tilts his head as he studies the hanging stuffed animals and other toys, before pointing at a large bear. "That one!"

The man takes it down handing it over to Christopher who immediately holds it out to Buck, "It's for you. To give to Dad."

Buck raises an eyebrow, "Why would I give it to him?"

"You know why," Christopher says before turning away to play another round. 

Buck is left standing there, bear clutched against his chest. 

His thoughts drift to Eddie. He's at work right now. He'd asked Buck to watch Christopher today and Buck hadn't been able to say no. He loves spending time with the kid. And with Eddie. With both of them. 

That doesn't mean he wants to go around giving stuffed bears to Eddie Diaz. 

_ Except you do, _a voice that sounds a lot like Maddie sounds in his head. He ignores it. 

He looks out at the water and frowns. Something isn't right. The water seems to be pulling back and…

His eyes widen and he turns back towards Christopher. "We have to go."

"But…"

Buck shakes his head, "I'm sorry. There's no time. We have to go now!"

He doesn't give Christopher a chance to respond before he hefts him over his shoulder and starts to run. He shouts at people as he goes. "Everyone needs to get off the pier! Come on! Get off the pier! Get off the pier!"

People are catching on now and there's a rush to get away as the alarm starts to sound. Buck looks behind him, feeling dread settling over him. They're not going to make it. If they keep running they're just going to get swept away. 

He makes a beeline for a booth nearby and puts Christopher in it, before crawling in next to him. He covers him with his body, hoping that this is enough. Hoping that they'll both survive this and he won't have to explain to Eddie he lost his kid. 

He can't let that happen. He's going to do whatever it takes to make sure Christopher survives this. 

"Buck," Christopher whispers. "I'm scared."

Buck holds him tighter, "I know. I am too, bud. But we're going to be okay. I'm going to do everything I can to protect you."

"I'll protect you too," Christopher tells him. 

Buck listens as sirens continue to ring and then he hears it, the first crash as water hits the shore. The yelling grows louder and Buck holds onto Christopher, even as he hears the water growing closer. 

"Whatever happens, you keep above water, okay?" 

"Okay."

The crash of water on them is sudden. One moment he's looking down at Christopher's scared face and the next the water is crashing over them. 

Buck tries to hold on to Christopher but the force of the water breaks him away. He fights against it, trying to swim back towards him. Panic grips at his chest at the thought of Christopher out here alone. He breaks through the surface and looks around, frantic. "Christopher?! Christopher?!"

"Buck?" 

The answering voice isn't Chris's but Bobby's. He turns towards the sound. He's close to the edge of pier, looking down at Buck worriedly. 

"Do you have a vest?" Buck calls up. 

"Hold on!"

Buck holds his breath in those long moments it takes before Bobby reappears, a life vest in his hands. He tosses it down and Buck grabs it, hurrying to put it on. 

"I'm going to look for Christopher!"

"Buck!" Buck turns at the sound of Bobby's voice. "Be careful. And get that kid."

"I will," Buck tells him. 

He swims through the water, looking for any sign of Christopher. Sometimes ducking under in case Christopher has gone below. He hopes he hasn't. 

He hopes he's made it somewhere safe. Buck will never forgive himself if something has happened to him. 

"Christopher! Christopher! If you can hear me, call out!"

"Buck!" Buck holds his breath. The voice is faint but he knows it. He swims towards the sound. "Buck!"

Buck sees him, holding onto a pole. He looks scared but otherwise okay. He looks around, trying to find anything that could help them. 

"Do you think you can hang on while I swim over and get that surfboard?" Buck calls over to him. 

"You want to go surfing?"

"No, I want to put you on it so we can get you out of the water," Buck tells him. "It's not far and I'll be right back. But I'll only go if you're comfortable with it."

Christopher nods, "I'll be okay."

Buck doesn't like it. Not one bit. But he's afraid if he tries to swim with both of them he won't make it. The water is still moving too fast. And he's not risking Christopher's life like that. 

He glances back at him as he swims towards the wreckage. He grabs the surfboard, feeling panic claw at his chest. Christopher is holding on tightly to the pole but Buck can tell he's struggling, his hands slipping and sliding along the pole. 

"I'm coming back buddy," Buck calls over to him. "Just hold on."

He swims as fast as he can back over to Christopher and then holds the board as steady as he can next to him. "I need you to get on, okay? Can you do that?"

"Yeah I can do it."

Buck thought he might have to convince Christopher to let go of the pole, but he doesn't. Brave as ever, Christopher leans over the surfboard, clutching it tightly like the lifeline it is. Buck helps him swim it over to the edge, through the wreckage, and then hefts him up onto the land, before climbing up after him. 

Then he just sits there, his arm around Christopher's shoulders as he looks out over the water. He has to look away when he starts to see bodies floating on the surface. He knows there will be more. But there's nothing he could have done. He's lucky he got Christopher out of this alive. 

"We're okay," Buck says, not sure if he's saying it to reassure Christopher or himself. "We're alright."

"Christopher! Evan!"

Buck turns at the sound of Eddie's voice. He stands up, picking Christopher up with him. Eddie rounds the corner and stops, his eyes landing on them. Then he's running towards them. He pulls Christopher into his arms.

"I was so worried," Eddie says, looking between them. 

"We're okay," Christopher tells him. "Buck kept me safe."

"Of course he did," Eddie says. He reaches out his hand and Buck takes it. Eddie pulls him closer and into a hug. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," Buck tells him. 

The three of them stand there, arms wrapped tightly around each other, taking comfort in the fact that they're all safe and alive.

"We lost the bear," Christopher says. 

"What?" Eddie asks, pulling back to look at Christopher in confusion. "What bear?"

"The bear Buck won for you," Christopher says. 

Buck gapes at him, "I didn't."

"You did," Christopher insists. "It reminded you of him."

Now Buck is really confused. What the hell is he implying. Eddie looks equally as confused. "It did?"

"It was soft and cuddly," Christopher says. 

Buck coughs and looks away, "I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

He's suddenly aware that he's still wrapped up in Eddie's arms. He's wondering if he could make it out without drawing too much attention to himself, when Eddie shifts. 

"You think I'm soft?" he whispers. 

And yeah. No. He definitely doesn't _ feel _ soft. Even though his gear Buck can feel the muscles of his chest and arms. And he's seen them. There's nothing soft about them. 

But his face. He's watching Buck expectantly. And that look, it is definitely soft. "Maybe parts of you."

"I'm going to give you to Bobby for a moment, okay?" Eddie tells Christopher. 

It takes Buck a moment to realize that Bobby has even approached them. He looks between the three of them as he takes Christopher from Eddie. "Is everything alright?"

Eddie nods, "Yeah I just need a moment alone with Buck."

Buck almost chokes when he hears Christopher saying, "I think they're going to kiss."

Bobby's reply isn't any better. "I certainly hope so. It would be about time."

Buck ducks his head, knowing how red his face must be. When he looks up, Eddie is facing the water. Buck moves closer, his eyes not leaving Eddie. "Are you okay?"

"What happened out there?" Eddie asks him. 

"We were playing one of the games when I noticed the water moving back. I grabbed Christopher and ran with him but only made it as far as a booth. I was holding onto him so tightly, Eddie. But the water was so strong. We both got swept away. I was so scared. I wasn't going to leave that water until I found him."

"That's what it's like being a parent," Eddie says. He looks at him, his eyes wet with tears he makes no move to wipe away. "You saved my son."

"Of course I did," Buck says. "I love that kid. I couldn't let anything happen to him. Knew you'd lose it if something did."

"What about if something happened to you?" Eddie asks him. 

"What?"

"Did you ever think about what it would be like for me if I lost you? I would go crazy, Buck. When I heard what was happening and couldn't get ahold of you I panicked."

"Christopher…" 

"Of course I was worried about Christopher but I was worried about you too," Eddie says. "I'll always have your back, remember?"

Buck smiles, "Yeah. I remember."

"It would help if you didn't put yourself in such dangerous situations," Eddie sighs. 

"You're one to talk," Buck says. "Are you forgetting we're both firefighters?"

"Point made," Eddie says. "But it's different when I'm with you. Hearing what had happened here and knowing that two of the most important people in my life were here… my heart dropped. The thought of finding you or Christopher in that water…" He breaks off, tears spilling down his cheeks. "I can't lose either of you."

Buck hesitantly reaches out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I can't promise that will never happen. No one can. But I can promise I'm going to do everything I can to keep you and Christopher safe. And to make sure I come home to you." Buck replays the last sentence in his head, his eyes widening. "I mean…"

Eddie is there, leaning closer until he's able to brush his nose with Buck's. "That sounds about right to me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Eddie kisses him then, soft and sweet. And yeah, Christopher might have it right about him being a teddy bear.

"It's going to be a long time before I go to the beach again for fun," Buck sighs. 

Eddie laughs, "Understandable. We'll just have to find other ways to keep you occupied on your days off."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm." Eddie runs his nose along his cheek. "You did say something about coming home to us."

"Oh," Buck says, staring at Eddie in surprise. "You mean…?"

"You spend a lot of time at our house anyway," Eddie shrugs. "Might as well just make it official."

"The moving in or…?"

Eddie kisses him again, his lips tilted up into a smile. "What do you think?"

"I don't know," Buck says. "I might need another demonstration."

Eddie raises an eyebrow, "That's where your head is at?"

"I could have died," Buck tells him. "I think that's worthy of another kiss."

"You can have all the kisses you want when we're home," Eddie tells him. "If that's what you decide."

"You drive a hard bargain," Buck tells him. "But I made up my mind before that tempting offer."

"And what did you decide?"

"That I couldn't think of a better place to be than with you and Christopher," Buck says.

Eddie smiles and kisses him, "Just a hint of what to expect."

"Well I definitely look forward to more," Buck tells him. 

"Now let's go get our boy and go home," Eddie says, putting an arm around Buck's shoulder and starting to lead him away. 

Buck can't keep the smile off his face. He knows soon it's all going to catch up to him. That he'll have to deal with how he feels about everything that just happened. But for now he just wants to enjoy this moment. To enjoy the thought of going home to Eddie and Christopher. To their boy. His heart swells at the thought. 

When Christopher wakes from a nightmare that night, both Eddie and Buck are there, calming him and holding him as he cries out. 

They stay after he calms, the three of them wrapped up in Christopher's small bed. It's not the most comfortable but they make it work. It's a reminder that they've made it out. That they're all safe. That's what's important right now. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day♥  
[My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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